The Culture of Ancient Rome

Introduction

The culture of the ancient Rome existed during one of the most fascinating periods in history, and a good number of various aspects of this culture can still be observed in the present day Roman culture. Perhaps it’s important to note that, the term “culture of the ancient Rome” is usually used to refer to the culture of the Roman Republic which later became the Roman Empire. The empire covered a wider area, ranging from Morocco and Lowland Scotland to the Euphrates (O'Sullivan, 2011). This paper seeks to dispel the idea that understanding culture is not as is not as easy as describing it based on common behaviors. It will address various key aspects of the culture of the ancient Rome, such as its social structure, political structure, economic structure, as well as how it has been affected by its social contract over time.

The Social Structure of the ancient Rome culture

The social structure of the ancient Rome was mainly based on several key features, such as heredity, citizenship, wealth, freedom and property. Women’s social statuses were defined by that of their husband or their fathers, and were expected to look after the houses. Slaves, mostly prisoners of war, were considered to be part of the social order in this culture, although they were at the bottom of the system. The social structure also consisted of upper-class citizens who were known as the patricians. . They had their own special class because they had extra money to be highly educated. The plebeians were the poor, low-class citizens, but they were somewhat wealthier than the slaves. However, the plebeians had numerous restrictions than the patricians, and they had a more difficult life living in Ancient Rome. Dress code was used to differentiate a m...

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...own as the common law, but nowadays, a dignity-based version of the social contract has emerged. Also, a democratic system that protects individual rights has been established as a result of the influence brought about by the social contract.

Conclusion

The ancient Roman culture is actually one of the most unique cultures in the world with the most fascinating history. Although certain aspects of its political system were adopted from the ancient Greek culture, there is a clear distinction in terms of how the government was run (O'Sullivan, 2011). Some economic analysts have considered the economic structure of the ancient Roman as market economy. However, due to the effects of social contract, so much has changed, considering the fact that government structure of the ancient Rome had no respect for human rights, especially the poor and the slaves (Erskine, 2009).